Support Structures
by J. Maria
Summary: We can't all be superheroes, and when we are, we need all the support we can get. Crossover with Sky High
1. Half Secrets

**Title:** Half-Secrets  
**author: **jmaria**  
Rating:** FR-15  
**Disclaimer: **Joss owns the Buffyverse, Disney owns the Sky High verse  
**Summary: **Sometimes old secrets need to be revealed in order to move on.  
**A/N:** What can I say - it's an addicting verse?

_**Half-Secrets**_

Faith idly played with the fringe on her sweater, watching as the rest of the remaining Scoobies tried to figure out what to do with the overload of teenage girls they'd gotten saddled with over. Four thousand seven hundred and twenty-three over-powered, hormone-driven girls.

That didn't include the two hundred and nineteen girls who were under the age of twelve. It was a nightmare, and Faith was sure she was going to end up killin' somebody if they didn't figure out a plan fast because these girls were driving her nuts.

It had been one of those days, when Giles had finished going through the Watcher's journals that hadn't been damaged on open case files. To be honest, Faith wasn't looking forward to that look he had on his face when he'd called her into his office.

"What's up, G-man?" Faith asked, purposely using Xander's nickname for the older watcher.

"As you and the others know, I've been trying to find a place for the new slayers to learn how to use their powers safely?"

"What's it gotta do with me?" Faith frowned, trying to figure out where this was going.

"I - erm, pulled up your file..."

"No."

The older man blinked a few times, as if he hadn't heard her correctly. Faith cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Faith, the safety of the -"

"I'm not askin' any of them for help, if fact, G, I'm not goin' anywhere near them."

"Faith, you spent only one semester there before going back to Boston -"

"And I hated it. We're not doin' that to the next generation of slayers, Giles."

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Miss Peace," A motherly voice said from behind her. "I had hoped that time and distance would have softened your heart some."

"Kinda hard to do that when everybody's callin' you by the wrong name, and pokin' fun at your dad," Faith said tightly, pushing herself out of the chair. She turned to face the dark haired woman. "And I still go by Lehane, Principal Powers."

"Of course," the woman smiled. "Have you spoken to your father lately?"

"I've been in jail, just like him - but no, I don't keep in touch," Faith snapped.

"Mr. Giles was telling me about that," the woman looked pained, but she smiled softly. "You turned out well."

"Why is she here, Giles?" Faith snapped, jerking her head back to Giles.

"I well, I invited her here. I was hoping to get the members of the new Council a tour of the grounds, and possibly their help in designing a similar campus for the girls and future watchers."

"Heroes and sidekicks, just up your alley, ain't it?" The anger shook her voice as her eyes snapped back to the woman.

"I should be going, Rupert. I'll call to set up that tour for your Council. It was good seeing you again, Faith," Principal Powers turned to leave, but paused at the door. "Warren will be starting his junior year. I know both he and Angela would love to hear from you, Faith. Even if you don't want to speak to your father, your brother deserves to have his older sister around."

Faith glared at the desk, her fingers clenching at her sides. She glanced up at a tired looking Giles.

"It's not a good idea, Giles. That place -"

"Is the only type of reference we've got to go on. There are only a few other places and - well, some are rather unsavory and others are hidden from us. They've produced quiet a few - "

"Villains as well as heroes, Giles. My old man is living proof of that."

"And you are not."

"Yeah, I was a sidekick till I ran away and went home," Faith said ruefully. "Where my mom died, my step-dad had long since split, I finally got my powers, my watcher found me and got me back in regular school, only to get killed by Kakistos. Only to go to Sunnydale and play sidekick to B. And then I wind up like my old man, behind bars."

Giles didn't say anything for a long time, just simply watched her. He handed her a small, brown spotted diary. It looked familiar, and it suddenly hit her as to why it did. It was Jenna's. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, making it nearly impossible to see.

"This belongs to you. The last pages should interest you the most, I would think."

Faith flipped it open, seeing a blur of pages written in Jenna Malloy's neat scrawl. The last page of the diary popped open because of a folded photograph. Beside it was Jenna's writing.

_Faith is a contradiction of many things. She acts often with little caution, yet yearns to protect most of the people she comes in contact with. She cares deeply for a family I have not met. Her step-father left, from what I managed to gather, when she was only a few years old, and as for her natural father - Elaine, her mother only had a few things to say on the subject and none of them particularly pleasant. Of course, the woman was quite ill at the time. She did speak fondly of his second wife and son, and all they had done to help Faith. Elaine was fond of a picture of Faith and her half-brother, and insisted it be given to Faith when she passed on. Faith refuses to have anything to do with her father, and Elaine could give me only a few scraps of information - Angela Myste-Peace and the name of a town - Maxville._

Faith opened the picture, her fingers shaking as she did. Two small, dark haired children smiled up at her. The girl was all of seven, and a boy of two smushed together, their eyes shining happily. Words written in her Mama's handwriting were faded on the back of the photo. _Little Faith and Warren, spring of '89._

"You still going to tour the place?" Faith asked thickly, her fingers tracing over the image.

"Yes."

"I'm gonna need a ride to Maxville."


	2. Paper Lantern

**Title:** Paper Lantern  
**author: **jmaria**  
Rating:** FR-15  
**Disclaimer: **Joss owns the Buffyverse, Disney owns the Sky High verse  
**Summary: **Facing the past...  
**A/N:** Because I realize my 'family tree' might be confusing - Baron Battle (Cyrus Peace) and Elaine Hardy are Faith's parents. They weren't married, and BB would eventually marry his archenemy Angela Myste (aka, Mist Maiden) and had Warren. Elaine married Jake Lehane, and had Faith eight months later. Jenna Malloy was her watcher. (these are all my names (with the exception of Lehane and BB, which are canon names)

_**Paper Lantern**_

Faith hesitated for a few minutes, the piece of paper crumbled in her fist. She took a deep breath and pressed the button. She could hear a woman just inside the door, and the click of the lock being turned. A woman in her early forties opened the door, her blond hair and thick glasses hadn't changed in the years. Her smile faltered for a second, before widening.

"Faith?" Angela asked quietly. "Is it really you?"

"Hey, Ange."

They seemed to stare at each other for a few minutes, neither one of them sure what they should say to each other.

"Won't you come in?" Angela laughed, holding the door open for her.

"Sure."

There were scorch marks on some parts of the floor that hadn't been there last time Faith had been in the house. Angela smiled at Faith's confusion.

"A little reminder of the first time Warren got his powers, he's an elemental, like me," Angela smiled. "I just wish he would have gotten wind or water sometimes, instead of fire."

"How is Warren?"

"Good. He's been working, he helped save the school, and he's finally making friends...with the Commander's son."

"The Commander? The jerk who threw dad in -" Faith blinked.

"Yes," Angela smiled. "It was about time for him to get over it. God knows Cyrus has, he even wrote the Commander a letter a few years back."

"How's Dad?"

"He's in solitary right now, but they're afraid if he's around others he might try and start plotting," Angela said sadly. "Eliza Powers called, she said that you were planning on touring the campus?"

"Yeah. The group I'm working with -"

"The slayer school?" she asked. Faith only frowned at this. "Eliza mentioned it in passing, when she told me that she saw you."

Faith nodded, her eyes traveling to the few photos that lined the mantle above the fireplace. Pictures of Angela and Warren dotted it, but it was the last photo that caught her attention. It was the same one that her mother had kept, and that Jenna had saved for her.

"We were so worried about you after - after Elaine died. We tried to get in touch with Jake, but -"

"He'd already split on Mom five years earlier, when she found out about the cancer," Faith muttered. "Where's Warren?"

"He's at work right now."

"Work?"

"He's got a job at the Paper Lantern," Angela smiled. "You probably remember it? I worked there when you two were little, and - "

"The lady who owns it used to babysit us."

"He won't be off for a few hours, but I can -"

"I should be going."

"You won't stay?"

"I - I got a hotel room outside of town, but I'm only staying for the night."

"You're always welcome here, Faith."

"Yeah, I know."

She let Angela hug her. It felt like it had all those years ago, when she'd told her that her father'd been jailed. Comfort even in pain. Faith didn't go back to the hotel, but instead found herself standing in the doorway of the Paper Lantern, her eyes locked on her little brother. And he looked less than thrilled to see her.


	3. Baby Brother

**Title:** Baby Brother  
**author: **jmaria**  
Rating:** FR-15  
**Disclaimer: **Joss owns the Buffyverse, Disney owns the Sky High verse  
**Summary: **Not everything's as simple as is should be.  
**A/N:** Not sure if I mentioned this earlier or not, but this is set a few months after the finale. As for ages, I always thought Faith was a year or two younger than Buffy & co., and Warren would be the year ahead of Will & co. So she'd be roughly twenty-two/three and he'd be about sixteen/seventeen with a five year age difference between them.

_**Baby Brother**_

Warren had spent most of the night trying to avoid the sickly sweet couples that made up his friends. The only one besides himself that hadn't paired off last year was Ethan, or Popsicle. He'd just gotten up to calm down Mrs. Chen, who was complaining that she paid him too much when he heard the door to the Paper Lantern open.

A dark haired woman stood there, her eyes locked on him. Warren felt his fists clench, recoginizing her. Mrs. Chen was still trying to get his attention, and his friends were all now staring at him. The older woman gasped when she caught sight of the newcomer. But neither Warren or the stranger noticed their reactions. The woman gave him a tiny smile, and Warren could only stare at her.

"Hey, W," Faith said quietly.

"Get out," Warren snapped, stalking out of the dining room. Mrs. Chen blocked his path, staring him down. She scolded him in a blur of Chinese that Faith could barely understand. Warren did, and only preceded to glare at the woman.

"I just wanted to see you, Warren. I'm not askin' for blood," Faith stood behind him, trying to figure out when he got so tall. "God, you got big. Used to be so little."

"I don't want to talk to you," Warren spat, pushing past her.

"Yeah, I got it," Faith said tiredly. "I'll go."

"Yeah, you do that."

Faith took a deep breath as she pushed her way out the door. She shouldn't have expected him to take her back so easily, like Angela or even Mrs. Chen seemed to. She should've known better. They were both more their father's kids than they'd like to admit.

Faith got back to Cleveland about a day later, more worn out than she'd like to admit. She pushed through the doors of the small building the Council had bought for them to use as a base of operations. She made her way to Robin's office, and opened the door without asking, making a beeline for his comfy couch. Robin was watched her as she came in, but didn't speak until she threw her arm over her eyes.

"Everything good?" The former high school prinicpal asked.

"Giles is talkin' about starting up a slayer/watcher school. He tell you about it?" Faith said from under her arm.

"He mentioned something about finding a good place to research our options. Said someone was going to visit him the other day, why?"

"Because the place he wants us to check out is my old school." Faith pushed herself up and propped an elbow on her knee.

"The high school you dropped out of just after you were called?" Robin cocked an eyebrow and his know-it-all smirk came out.

"Not that one, the first one I dropped out of."

"You dropped out of more than one school?"

"Yeah. One before I got called, and one after," Faith took a deep breath and frowned at him. "Ya know, B set fire to _both _of the schools she went to, and got kicked outta the first one. I just left mine, no death and destruction there."

Robin didn't say anything, merely waited for her to say what was really on her mind. It had been odd that Giles called her to London in the first place, odder still that she'd left there two days ago and was just getting back now. It was clear that something was bothering her, but he knew better than to just push at her.

"Is it hard for you?" Faith asked quietly.

"What?"

"Being the son of a slayer?" Robin frowned. He hadn't expected that.

"I lost my mother when I was young, and you saw what it did to and for me. I had to fight and claw my way to become who I am, and sometimes I did things I wasn't proud about."

"Like Spike?" Robin only nodded. Faith pushed herself to her feet, and glared out the window to where a few of the new slayers were working out.

"Why do you want to know, Faith?"

"Cuz this is gonna be a dogfight for them," Faith muttered. "It's gonna be hard for them to have normal lives, and Giles is just gonna make it harder for them if he starts a school like _that_ one."

"What happened there, Faith?" Robin asked gently. They weren't talking about the slayers anymore, and he knew it.

"_Everyone_ knew who I was, knew whose kid I was." Her fists shook as she remembered that first bus ride, and Power Placement. "They were so scared until - nothing. And it was such a fuckin' joke that I was a sidekick."

"Faith, what are you talking about?"

That snapped Faith out of her memories. She'd thought she's buried most of her anger about those days when she'd been chosen.

"You ever hear of a guy called Baron Battle?"

"The master criminal that was taken down about fifteen years ago?" Robin frowned.

"He's my old man."

"Your - I thought he split on you and your mom?" Robin shook his head, not quite able to wrap his head around the idea of her dad being a supervillian.

"He did - well, my Mom was datin' this other guy at the time, Jake Lehane. My dad was kinda a one night stand."

"So your real dad's a big bad? Is that what's got you so upset?" Robin was confused.

"Hell no, I knew Dad was a bad guy, but his wife, she kinda saved him. Like Angel saved me. You know who the Mist Maiden is?"

"Yes."

"They used to be enemies, big battles and all that. Dad meets a girl - a waitress at a Chinese restaurant and they fell in love. Turns out she was Mist Maiden. They had a kid, dad was turning his life around. Until fifteen years ago, he was a part of my life. I visited every summer, he called once a week. Then boom, one day the Commander catches him and he's off serving a quadruple life sentence. Like father, like daughter, right?"

"What happened after that?" Robin asked.

"His wife kept in touch, but I didn't visit as much because she was so busy trying to raise their kid. Then when I was thirteen, she calls me and tells me that she'd been saving up with my Mom to send me to the school she and my dad went to."

"Wait, they both went to the same school and didn't recognize each other?"

"Yeah. Turns out they went to a school for superheroes, and kids of superheroes. So Mom sends me out there and I go. Everybody knew who my father was and what he'd done, so they all steered clear a me. And then we took a test to see what our powers were, 'cept little Faith din't have any powers."

"And they made you a sidekick," Robin murmured.

"Yep. I stuck it out for almost a year before I took off. Hurt my step-mom, my little brother, and my mom. Maybe I even hurt my dad, I don't know. My mom died a few months later, I got in with the wrong crowds, and then I got chosen."

Faith closed her eyes, blocking out the memories. Robin had already heard all of this before, so she wasn't going to rehash it with him.

"When I killed that guy in Sunnydale, the Council contacted my step mom and brother and told them I was dangerous. That I was just like my father. Angel was the one who told them that I was in jail, when I woke up from the coma. He told them what happened and she forgave me - for everything," Faith choked back a sob. "But my little brother hates me, cuz I turned out just like our dad. I went to see him and he won't even look at me." She let Robin hold her for a few minutes before shaking off the self-pity.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna let Giles and the rest tour the school. And I'm gonna try and get my brother back. Redemption's a rocky road."


	4. Game Plan

**Title:** Game Plan  
**author: **jmaria**  
Rating:** FR-15  
**Disclaimer: **Joss owns the Buffyverse, Disney owns the Sky High verse  
**Spoilers: **Sky High & Season 7  
**Summary: **Not everything's as simple as is should be.  
**A/N:** Ethan, Magenta, Layla, and Zach aren't given canon last names (at least I don't think so).

_**Game Plan**_

He was doing his best to ignore Stronghold & Co.'s questions about the mystery woman who'd come into the Paper Lantern. And they weren't the givin' in kind. Unfortunately.

"Who was the hottie - " Zach Johnson, the human glowworm, started to say until his kinda-sorta-but-not-quite girlfriend kicked him under the table. Magenta Avery glared at him. "I mean, in a not -"

"Zach, it might be better if you _don't _try," Layla Greenfield sighed.

"Who was she, Warren?" Will Stronghold asked.

"Someone I don't wanna talk about, Stronghold," Warren grit his teeth as Mrs. Chen went on scolding him. He didn't need _her _back in his life. "I mean it."

He stomped out of the restaurant, his leather jacket in hand. What right did she have to come back into his life after a six year absence? After everything she'd done? She blackened the Peace name almost as badly as their father, and from what that Council guy had told them a few years back, she was just as dangerous.

Back inside the Paper Lantern, Warren's friends were just as curious about the mysterious woman's arrival.

"So you think they had somethin' going on?" Zach asked.

"Zach," Magenta muttered, shaking her head.

"She did look kinda familiar," Ethan Jackson added.

"She looks like Warren," Mrs. Chen said, shocking all of them. They had thought the woman only spoke Chinese. "She's his sister."

"Warren's got a sister?"

"Emotional baggage is more like it," Mrs. Chen sighed.

Warren slammed the door shut behind him, his anger at his half-sister's sudden arrival at the Paper Lantern still surging through him. He was half-way up the stairs when he heard his mother's sigh. He narrowed his eyes as he spun around to face her.

"She was here too?"  
"Faith stopped by to -"  
"What does she want? Why come back now?" Warren spat, taking his anger out on the one person who probably didn't deserve it.  
"Because she's changed, Warren. She wants to be a part of this family because -"  
"She had a chance to be part of this family before, and she -" Warren shut his mouth, not wanting to have this fight at all. "She threw it away. She doesn't deserve this family."

Warren stalked back up the stairs, his back to his mother. Angela sighed heavily. They were so much alike, all of them. Fiercely loyal when they chose to be, fiercely stubborn all the time. She truly didn't know what Warren would say about the tour, but she herself was going to be an eyewitness to the spectacle of it.

Faith watched as Dawn paced around the room, her mind focused on whatever new problem the precog department had thrown in her lap this time. She had envied B for a lot of things: her friends, her life, and her family. Buffy had that bond with Dawn that she didn't have with Warren. Hopefully there was time to fix that. No, she was determined to fix that, especially after the whole incident at the Paper Lantern. Of course, the problem was that he was just as stubborn as she was.

Dawn still hadn't sat down, and it was beginning to bug Faith. She reached out to grab the teen by her wrist and pulled her back from stepping in front of Giles, who was full steam ahead with his own pacing. Dawn fell back awkwardly onto the sofa that Faith was sitting on, blinking in shock at the older slayer.

"Somethin' buggin' you, mini-B?" Faith smirked.  
"Yeah. No, but kinda yeah," Dawn groaned, biting on her lip.

"What?"

"Alicia came to us two days ago with a vision," Dawn sighed. Alicia Hargrove was one of the few seers who could give specifics on cases and had been used to find several missing people and a dozen or more new slayers. Faith had only met the twenty-year old a few times, so she nodded for Dawn to go on. "And everyone knows how good her premonitions are, how good she is... well, as much as I like her, she sucks."

"Huh?" Faith frowned, thrown a bit by the anger in the younger girl's voice.

"She had a premonition with three words about me," Dawn huffed, pushing herself up off the sofa to pace again. "I've got to help someone from being lashed high in the sky. Because that is so specific and ya know, clear!"

Faith busted out laughing. Dawn only pouted at her, still not enjoying being laughed at. Giles only huffed at the two girls as he sped back through the office, tossing a thick file folder on the desk before hurrying off again. Faith glanced at the clock again before turning her attention back to the stressed out teen.

"G-man didn't tell you where we're goin' tomorrow, did he?"

"Yeah, some super-secret specialized academy that's willing to give the Watcher's Council a few pointers," Dawn muttered.

"D, the place is called Sky High," Faith drawled, waiting for the look of realization to hit Dawn.

"Oookay," Dawn sighed. "At least now I know someone's gonna be lashed at Sky High. Makes it a little easier."

An hour later than had been planned for, Giles finally sat the dozen or so participating tour group members down in his office to explain the particulars of their little field trip. They would leave promptly at seven thirty to arrive at the pick up spot, and send the remainder of the day at the school to observe. If they found that the school's curriculum met needs similar to their own, they would continue regular observation and even get their potentials and junior watchers enrolled in classes in the interim.

Giles, Willow, and Robin, being former educators, would spend majority of their time with the faculty and staff. Buffy and Faith, being the most senior of the slayers, would focus on the training classes. And everyone else would either be given the classroom tour with students or free to wander on their own.

Of course, only Kennedy, Xander and Andrew were given free reign. The younger slayers, Rona and Vi, being the oldest of the Potential's, and Dawn, Carlos and Kit, being the oldest of the junior watchers would be the five shcmucks going on the tours. Of course, most of the surviving Sunnydale potentials would be coming along for the ride, but they were used to being left out of the loop.

The five were at a halfway point. They'd seen and lived through too much to be grouped in with the younger and frankly, more naïve slayers and watchers, but were too young to really have a significant say in any of the crucial decisions. And for Dawn, that really stung.

"We expect this to go rather smoothly, to be honest. So I want no foolish behavior," Giles was wrapping up, his eyes locked firmly on Dawn.

"Yeah, just pretend you're on the Hellmouth again and tread lightly," Faith snickered.

"Oh, yeah, cause that warning always worked so well for us," Xander chuckled.

"Be that as it may, this school has gone out of it's way to help us adjust to our new predicament, unlike some who have only shoved their noses only further into their own situations, portents be damned," Giles muttered. "Self-absorbed prats that they are."

"Giles, back to the being gracious to our hosts," Buffy sighed.

"Right. So, best faces forward for tomorrow, yes?"

The next morning found Steve and Josie Stronghold were beaming at their son who looked like he could care less about this honorable distinction he and his friends were receiving. Will, Layla, Ethan, Zach, Magenta, and Warren were supposed to be playing guide to five teenagers from a larger group that Will had never even heard of before - all because they'd saved the school.

"A real live slayer, son," Steve was practically bubbling over with excitement. "It's an honor to meet one in a lifetime. Your grandfather met one, and she was - "

"It was an honor," Josie cut her husband off before his father's tall tale got even taller and Steve blurted out the unfavorable aspects of their meeting. "These girls - it's a once in a lifetime honor to meet them. They are truly unsung heroes."

"Mom, I get that it's an honor… but it's not that big of a deal. Principal Powers probably figured we'd be less likely to attract trouble if we were 'on assignment' and it helps boost our grades. Besides, it's really annoying Warren for some reason."

"Warren has some issues with slayers," Josie said cautiously.

"Huh? How do you know that, Mom?" Will asked, his brow furrowing.  
"I spoke to Angela, Warren's mother at the library dedication yesterday. She mentioned it to me," Josie ducked her head as she hurried out of the kitchen. "You better grab some breakfast before the bus leaves with out you!"

"Mom, if I miss it, I can fly to school!" Will rolled his eyes as he snagged an apple from the bowl.


	5. Superior Transportation

Title: Superior Transportation  
author: jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: Joss owns the Buffyverse, Disney owns the Sky High verse  
Spoilers: Sky High & Season 7  
Summary: Not everything's as simple as is should be.  
A/N: A chunk of this was previously posted as School Daze in a ficlet collection.

_Superior Transportation_

For all the hush-hush planning that the Upper Council had been doing, Kit Holburn was a little disappointed with the 'superior transportation' this Sky High had provided. Their idea of superior apparently came off as a crappy, run of the mill school bus - much like the Sunnydale ones she'd used all her life. There was something off, and she just couldn't put her finger on it. Kit felt very leery about getting on the non-descript school bus, but she was a watcher-in-training, and she'd be getting on something similar to it every day for at least the next two years, so she sucked it up and boarded the bus.

Actually, it looked pretty similar to every other school bus she'd ever been on. It even had the bologna-feet-and-sickly sweet perfume odor the Sunnydale one had always had. Dawn, who boarded just behind her blinked in surprise at the worn leather seats and broken fan sitting over the driver's seat.

"I see they spared no expense on the visitor transportation," Dawn muttered.  
"D, can you move your ass," Faith snapped from behind her, on edge for reasons Kit couldn't even imagine. "We don't got all day."  
"Sorry," Dawn rolled her eyes and plunked down next to Kit on the seat just behind the driver. Faith couldn't help smirking at them as she took the seat across from them, with Robin next to her.  
"Good seat choice," Faith murmured with a mysterious gleam in her eye.  
"Why do I have a feeling that's not a good sign?" Kit hissed at Dawn.  
"Because I'm pretty sure it's not."

Kit did a running head count of who was all in attendance. Carlos Trejo, fellow w.i.t and mini-Scooby (or at least that's Xander had been calling Kit, Dawn, and Carlos) sat in the seat behind them with Rona, while Vi was stuck with Andrew. All in all, there were only few of the watchers-and-slayers-in-training and the Upper Council that had been invited to come see this school. Kit was pretty sure it was a waste of time and that the Council would probably fall back on it's old crappy training, but hey, it got her, Dawn, and Carlos out of class so it was worth it. Of course, Kit had a feeling that Dawn had done some major begging on their part to get them include, seeing as she was actually on the Council and they were just starting their informal training.

There was just one odd thing that nagged at Kit. Even though Giles had made the arrangements, it was Faith who was actually overseeing this little field trip. Once everyone was seated, the bus driver stood up and faced them.

"Hello, I'm Ron Wilson - former Bus Driver, and I'll be escorting you to Sky High," with that he whipped off his hat, pulled off a patch on his shirt sleeve, sat back down and hit a weird button.  
"Didn't he save some town from a giant robot!" Carlos had managed to hiss out as bars popped out of the seats to lock them into place.  
"What the hell - " Dawn gave Kit a nervous look as the bus sped up faster than any county bus she ever been on.

The next thing she knew, they were pelting straight up into the air, wind whipping through the open windows. She shrieked, but at least she wasn't the only one. No, the only one _not_ shrieking in fear was Faith, who looked like she was having the time of her life. Kit, having taken the window seat glanced out to see the grounds and buildings of the Watchers Council get smaller and smaller. She had to close her eyes to stop them from crossing.

Kit glanced over at Faith, who was also looking out her window. In a span of three seconds, Faith's face went from happy-fun-thrill-ride to brooding-with-the-best-of-them. Something was not well in the state of Denmark, but really, what did she know - she was in a magic flying school bus. Hmm, maybe they had a Ms. Frizzle teaching here.

When the bus finally landed, Kit fought the urge to throw up. At least she fought it. Some of the council members couldn't. Her legs were still a little shaky as she followed Dawn off the bus. The large white building loomed over them, looking more like USC Sunnydale than a high school. A small group of people stood waiting for them. There were a half dozen teens and four adults, Kit noticed

"Holy crap, she wasn't kidding with that Sky High crap," Dawn muttered, glancing nervously at the edge of the campus and the expanse of blue sky all around them.  
"Good thing you're not afraid of heights," Kit replied, her eyes flitting back to the nearly empty bus.

Faith took a deep breath as she stepped off the last step, taking in the sight and sounds of the unusually quiet campus. Class would already be in session for most of the students, and she shuddered a little at the thought of her old school days. Robin squeezed her hand as they made their way over to the rest of the Upper Council.  
The dark haired boy glowered at Faith, but Faith was too busy glaring at the woman.

"Hello, salty goodness," Dawn muttered under her breath as she caught Kit staring at the boy. Kit didn't get a chance to reply, but she was feeling much of the same about the boy.

"Hello, and welcome to Sky High. I am Principal Powers. We've arranged tours for the students. The faculty and staff will be in meetings go over a few basic things, but rest assured that I leave your students in good hands," the woman said, smiling as she walked to stand behind the students. "Ethan, Layla, Magenta, Warren, Will, and Zach can answer any questions you might have about Hero and Hero Support classes. I'm sure Miss Lehane can also answer any questions you might not be comfortable asking.

Kit frowned at this. What could Faith know about this weird school? It got even weirder when the older Slayer smiled at the guy who was glaring at her.

"Hey, W. Bet you weren't expecting to see me again."

Warren was pissed beyond all belief. Of course, he'd known that some new superhero group was coming out to get some perspective, he just didn't know his defective half-sister was going to be with them. Stronghold was making some weird face at him, and Layla was doing her 'worried about everyone' face at him. He could feel licks of flame skitter across his finger tips, and heard a gasp come from the tour group. For one second he let his gaze flicker off of his older sister to the source of the gasp.

A dark haired girl stood just behind Faith, flocked by a skinny brunette and the guy in the group. Everything about her screamed average and forgettable, from her dark broody clothes to her dark broody hair. She'd flop in a neon-colored world like Sky High in a second if she were a student here. Her eyes were locked on his fingers, and Warren watched her expression as he flicked the flames away. She only looked at his face then, her cheeks blushing at his attention. Warren rolled his eyes and looked back at the original source of his annoyance. Faith's smile grew a little as she watched the little exchange.

"To say the least," he gritted out.  
"Sorry about the other night. Didn't mean to ruin your good time," Faith said, nodding to the rest of the group.  
"You didn't ruin anything," Layla piped in, her do-gooder nature never dampened. Warren wanted nothing better than to scream in frustration.  
"Good to know," Faith smiled again. "Take good care of my girls, will ya?"

Warren couldn't explain the surge of anger and jealousy that coursed through him at Faith's words, he only knew that they _really_ pissed him off.

"Faith, we've got a long day ahead of us," the man standing beside her said.  
"Yeah, right. Guess I'll see ya later, W." Faith waited a few seconds for an answer, but the look in her brother's eye told her she wasn't gonna get one.

Warren watched as his sister and the man followed the rest of the adults towards the faculty lounge, leaving the group of strange teens together. He knew Stronghold was gonna try at say something about it even if it was only at Layla's insistent nudge.

"One word, Stronghold, and I swear I will roast you alive," Warren hissed, his hand digging in his pocket for the name on his list. "K. Holburn, you're with me and I'm late -"  
"Sounds like a problem. Didja forget to use the pill?" a low voice cut his tirade off mid-sentence. Warren glanced up to see the same girl who'd caught him flaming earlier.   
"Just move your ass, K. Holburn." Warren muttered, stalking away from the rest of the group and not even caring if she was following.


	6. Special Forces

****

Title:

Special Forces  
**author: **jmaria**  
Rating:** FR-15  
**Disclaimer: **Joss owns the Buffyverse, Disney owns the Sky High verse  
**Spoilers: **Sky High & Season 7  
**Summary: **Nobody's perfect anyway

_Special Forces_

Dawn felt a slight pang of envy as she watched Kit hurry after that very cute Warren guy that apparently Faith knew. Hmm. Carlos gave her a nudge and she realized that they were waiting for her to say something. She'd worry about that later, she thought, turning to face the rest of the tour guides.

"Um, why is what's-his-face-hot-broody-boy scampering off and the rest of you aren't?" Dawn asked.

"Warren," the red-headed girl Dawn thought was named Layla spoke first, "Warren's a junior, so he's got AP classes that run on a different schedule than ours."

"That and he's pissed his sister is here," the boy next to her muttered.

"Hot boy has a sister?" Dawn asked, keeping her face neutral.

"Yeah, your friend, Miss Lehane? She's Warren's sister," Will frowned at the other group of teens.

"Hot boy's sister is who?" Carlos frowned. "Who the hell is Miss Lehane?"

"That's Faith's last name, Carlos," Dawn murmured, her eyes widening. "Faith's brother is a superhero -"

"And her dad is a supervillian," Layla added, watching as the four teens turned to stare at her.

"Oh, wow. That totally explains the chip she had on her shoulder when she met Buffy and why she went all dark slayer."

"She went what?"

* * *

"The name's Kit. Only Faith calls me K and gets away with it. Although it does get confusing when Buffy and Willow start saying kay instead of okay," Kit replied, jogging to keep up with him.

"I don't really care," Warren muttered.

"Wow. So, how bad did Faith break your heart, Flame-On?" Kit asked as Warren pushed the door open with more force than necessary.

"What are you talking about?" Warren spun around to face her, and watched with satisfaction that she actually took a step back. It didn't last long, because she blinked once and took a step forward closing the distance between them.

"Faith. About yea high, curvy and mysterious with an attitude as big as yours. Not to mention that big ball of tension that you've had since she said howdy, Sparky," Kit sighed. "Of course, you're barely legal which means she or you tried to tap it -"

"Shut up, now," Warren practically snarled it at her. He watched as her eyes grew wide.

"Oh my god, you look just like her when she's in full slay mode," Kit whispered, her eyes going wide in recognition. She frowned. "Are you like her secret baby or something?"

"I am not talking about this," Warren's fists clenched again as he stomped further down the hall towards his locker. Why the hell couldn't this girl just take a fricken hint? Why was she pestering him?

"To be honest, you're not really talking about much. Kinda defeats the whole tour guide gig. I seriously hope you're not considering this to be your chosen field once you graduate, because people person you are not," Kit smirked at his back. "Besides the whole-secret-baby thing is too far fetched. She'd have to have been like five or six when she had you, which is completely impossible. At least as far as I know, but given the slayer genes, it actually might not be. Hmm, I could do a whole paper on that. But you know that only really leaves one open option for me to guess at."

"Shut up," Warren yelled, his fingers ablaze angrily as he glared at her.

"She's your sister and that pisses you off," Kit paused for a moment, taking him in. "Wow, you and Dawn have such huge slayer-sister issues. You two should consider dating."

Kit crossed her arms and looked up at him, leaning against the locker with a calm look on her face. Of course it was her very best attempt at trying not to seem too impressed with his human torch-like qualities. It was better for her to try not to feed Fire-boy's ego. Warren blinked, taking in everything she'd just said in the last breath. His locker door hung open, catching her attention. Inside stuck to the metal door was a picture. Two actually. There was one of him cuddling up to some blonde twig, and the other of the rest of the tour guides.

"That your girlfriend?" Kit asked. "Forget Dawn, blondie's a lot cuter. Don't tell, Dawn, though. She gets kinda jealous when people don't tell her shes pretty. Actually, that's kind of a slayer trait too, which might mean -"

"I do not get jealous when people don't tell me I'm pretty," Warren found himself answering the unasked question, and couldn't help the small smirk on his lips. She had a way of getting under his skin far too easily. Just like Faith did. Just like - "And she's not my girlfriend. She's nobody."

"Nobody? If she was nobody she wouldn't be in your locker."

Warren felt his stomach clench at the thought of their last talk. Anger and hurt coiled in his chest and he felt the flames lick over his skin and dance across the metal door to the photo that had meant so much to him not so long ago. Kit's eyes widened at the flames. Her eyes darted to the black water bottle on his locker shelf and her hands scrambled for it. Half of the photo had gone up before she doused both the locker door and his hand. She glared at him.

"Just because she's nobody to you now, it doesn't give you the right to trash your memories. You can't get them back once they're gone," Kit snapped angrily. She thought of all the things she'd left back in Sunnydale. She'd been so sure that once all the craziness was done she could just go back for them. Leave it to Spike to trash the entire town.

"Its none of your business."

"Like you would've gone all flamey if I hadn't asked the question," she snorted.

"I might have. I definitely wouldn't have gotten drenched."

"Poor baby, you're just gettin bitch-slapped all over the place, aren't you?" Kit winced as he slammed the locker shut.

"Look, I'm not making some cute little commentary on your pathetic life, do ya mind not making one on mine?" Warren's voice went low, and if Kit knew him better she'd almost say it was a bit pleading. Sure, the whole pathetic life jab stung, but she found herself nodding in agreement. "Good. We've got class and we're already ten minutes late."

"Ooh, does that mean we get to skip?"


End file.
